Sydney Festival Won’t Accept Overseas Govt Funding After Israeli Embassy Sponsorship Boycott

Sydney Festival will suspend all funding from international governments and their cultural agencies. The festival announced the decision following an independent review into “international government investment”, which festival chair David Kirk promised earlier this year

Statement from the board of Sydney Festival.

Full statement: https://t.co/bKZR8lJkkg pic.twitter.com/Be6B4GX05i

— Sydney Festival (@sydney_festival) September 27, 2022

statement

“We sincerely apologise to all those affected. We would like to thank everyone who shared their experiences as part of the review process. We have listened to what was said, and we are acting on key findings.”

Consider this your notice: do not accept dirty money from governments, corporations, & any other entities complicit in injustice & human rights abuses anywhere.

Sydney Festival suspends overseas government funding after Israel boycott furore.https://t.co/CDu1kd9FSZ

— sara m. saleh | سارة صالح (@SaraSalehTweets) September 27, 2022

mired by controversy after myriad artists and organisations staged a mass boycottOhad Naharin

Please read pic.twitter.com/4FjZzobWHi

— Shari Niliwil Sebbens (@sharileesebbo) January 5, 2022

After listening to the calls to boycott the @Sydney_Festival over its decision to accept funding from and partner with the Embassy of Israel, I have decided to withdraw from my scheduled performance at the Festival's Gala Comedy Night, in solidarity.

— Tom Ballard (@TomCBallard) January 4, 2022

A number of pro-Palestine activists and groups joined the call for a boycott, including the Palestine Justice Movement Sydney. “The Israeli government uses culture to hide its apartheid practices and present itself to the world as a free, fair and enlightened liberal democracy,” the movement said in a statement on Twitter. “By partnering with Israel, Sydney Festival will be complicit in Israel’s strategy to art-wash its crimes, and will contribute to the normalisation of an apartheid state.”

Read our media release: Palestine Justice Movement Sydney joins other Palestine solidarity-organisations in calling on audiences and performers to boycott @sydney_festival this January. We're also calling on festival directors to refuse complicity w Israeli apartheid & resign. pic.twitter.com/AquadkgjdY

— Palestine Justice Movement Sydney (@PalestineRising) December 22, 2021

@sydney_festival has refused artist calls to divest its Star Partnership with the Israeli Embassy and end all relations with the apartheid state.
As artists we will not be silent. #boycottsydfest #sydneyfestival pic.twitter.com/4oL17jfupE

— Arab Theatre Studio (@ArabiStudio) January 2, 2022

You can't PR apartheid. You can't sing, dance or paint over apartheid. @sydney_festival #boycottsydfest

Artist: @ahmedelkhalidi https://t.co/QO8y4K5aM2 pic.twitter.com/e7yIhz9mLB

— Jennine (@jennineak) January 7, 2022

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